Chicago car accident attorney

If you get into a car accident, especially if you are rear-ended and don’t see it coming, it’s not uncommon to feel mostly OK immediately after it happens. If your buddy is unexpectedly whipped around, it will usually create a rush of adrenaline in your system. This often will prevent you from noticing any pain.

It’s not uncommon at all to wake up a day or two after an accident and then have back or neck pain. In fact, we probably see that more than we do see people have back and neck pain right away unless they hit their head on the window or have an airbag injury.

In these situations, you likely would not have received medical care right after the accident. So the question we get a lot is, “When is too late to go see a doctor.”

The correct answer is never. Your health is most important so whenever you start feeling poorly you should see a doctor whether it’s related to an accident or not.

But as far as the case itself goes, the correct answer is that the longer you wait, the harder it is to prove your injuries are related to the accident. I’ve noticed in uptick of people who have tried to “tough it out” and end up going months without getting any medical care beyond taking Advil.

If you were hit by a car in June and don’t see a doctor for back pain until October, it’s really hard to prove that your back problems are related to that accident. At the very least it creates a really good defense for the insurance company. I say that, because during the time in between the accident and the first appointment, you are living life, working, walking around, etc. It’s assumed that if you are able to do those things that you are fine. And it indicates that something else might have happened to cause you to seek care.

For us, we encourage people to get treatment ASAP and if anyone goes more than a month without doing that after the accident, we would be hesitant to get involved. On the other hand, if you went a doctor a couple of days after an accident and don’t return for 4-6 weeks, we can make a better argument that your need for treatment is still related to getting hit.

The bottom line is that the sooner you treat the better. I hate going to the doctor too and the US health care system is kind of a joke. But if you create a gap in treatment you are also creating a defense for the insurance company. And they love to deny cases for any reason they can.

Because Illinois, and more specifically Chicago, has millions of people, there are many out-of-state attorneys who see our state as a potential cash cow.

So what ends up happening is that law firms from places like Nevada, Florida and other places rent an office in Chicago, place an attorney there and then start to do a ton of advertising.  Nothing in their billboards, TV commercials or radio ads make it clear that most of their law firm isn’t in Illinois, that they don’t have a long track record of success in Illinois and in some cases, that the attorneys that are all over the ad aren’t even licensed to practice law in Illinois.

These law firms, in my opinion, don’t care about their clients in Illinois, they care about making money.  Our rule of thumb is that we only recommend to you attorneys that we’d recommend to a family member or friend.  For us, the client’s best interests come first.  For many of these out of state firms it’s about making money and nothing else.

I was reminded of this recently when a woman who was badly injured in a car accident called us.  She had hired a law firm that advertises a lot here, but a quick look at their website shows that most of their attorneys are in Florida, not Illinois.  She told me her attorney hadn’t answered her questions and wasn’t returning phone calls.  I connected her with a Chicago car accident lawyer who has an incredible track record.

This firm, showing that they only look out for themselves, pulled a slimy move when the new attorney called to say they were being let go.  They had never received medical records or bills for the client and didn’t know where she was in the recovery process or if the case was ready to settle.  But to try to make a quick buck they sent a demand letter to the insurance company, without her permission, offering to settle the case for $300,000.  It’s incredibly unethical in my opinion.

The bad news is that more of these firms are on their way.  Nothing says that a lawyer can’t have offices in multiple states.  But if they are essentially franchising themselves, it’s a red flag and a true sign that they aren’t the best firm for your case.

Beware these firms and make sure you are looking at the website of the lawyer you are hiring before you hire anyone. If you would like our recommendation as to which Illinois personal injury law firms are reputable, care about their clients and get great results, please call us at 312-346-5320 any time to speak with an attorney for free.